Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Uneven romance has explicit sex, features women in STEM.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS is about Stanford graduate student Olive, who needs to convince her best friend, Anh, that it's OK for Anh to date a guy Olive had recently been seeing but wasn't really interested in. So she hatches a plan to "fake-date" none other than the Biology department's most prestigious professor, Adam Carlsen, who's also a huge jerk. As Olive and Adam's ruse gets harder and harder to keep up, Olive starts to feel like she wishes their dating wasn't actually fake. Will she be able to untangle her web of lies without ruining everything, for everyone?
Is It Any Good?
This romance set in the lofty world of a prestigious graduate school program has its ups and downs. It's refreshing to see women in STEM represented and important to highlight how much many women struggle in that world. The Love Hypothesis has some funny banter, especially with colorful supporting characters. Readers who enjoy very familiar romcom tropes will feel at home here, because this story is chock-full of them. The one explicit sex scene is easy to skip for those who aren't interested. A big drawback is Olive's truly bad and unrealistic decision making, which strains believability and takes the reader outside the story.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the graphic sex in The Love Hypothesis. Is it over-the-top? Realistic? Is reading about it different from seeing it in movies, videos, and other media?
What are some concerns about reading or watching explicit sex? Do you compare yourself or your body to the characters? Does it make you afraid, feel creepy, or unsure about what sex is like for real people?
What about all the strong language? Is it realistic? Is it a big deal? Why, or why not?
Talk about women studying and working in STEM fields. What are some of the challenges Olive and Ahn face? How do they deal with them? Who supports them? What can men do to make STEM fields more welcoming and inclusive?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Romance
- Topics : STEM , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Perseverance
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Berkley
- Publication date : September 14, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 18 - 18
- Number of pages : 400
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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